


Father and Daughter...And Someone New

by TheTwoFlamingos



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:45:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTwoFlamingos/pseuds/TheTwoFlamingos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Second Chances...be prepared for the FEELS!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to our wonderful BETA abeautifulmessofcontradictions.

Elizabeth Keen awoke to the feeling of being alone. She rolled over searching for Red, but was meet by cold sheets and an empty pillow. Taking a few minutes to clear the cobwebs out of her head, she smiled when she heard the soft giggle of their daughter and the rumbling laugh of her father. She got out of bed, used the washroom, and threw on some clothes before padding down the hallway. She rounded the corner and stopped.

Their backs were towards her; Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington stood in a pair of grey sweat pants and a white tank holding a giant bowl. Their three year old daughter, Marie, stood next to her father on a stool, still clad in her Winnie the Pooh onesie throwing what looked like tiny handfuls of chocolate chips in the bowl. Liz couldn’t stop the smile from forming as she watched them together.

She couldn’t believe it had been seven months since Red walked back into her life after three years of being “dead.” Some days it still felt like a dream that Liz expected to wake up from at any moment, but every time she awoke, he was there to reassure her that he wasn’t going anywhere. Marie had handled it better than Liz had expected, for a three year old anyway. Over the course of a week, Red had taken the time to explain to Marie, in simple terms, his reason for not being around. He answered every question her little head could formulate and promised the little girl multiple times that he was never going to leave them again. Liz was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Marie questioning her father.

“Daddy?”

“Yes baby girl?” The deep timber of Red’s voice was such a contrast against the soft timid tone of Marie’s.

“Why can’t we make pancakes?”

“Because mommy absolutely detests pancakes Marie,” Red answered.

The look of absolute horror on his daughter's face had Red gnawing on his bottom lip. 

“Is she broken?” Marie asked.

Red couldn’t hold in his laugh, the rich sound reverberated around the room, making Liz’s smile widen even more. “No my dove, she’s not broken.”

Accepting his vague answer, Marie added two more handfuls of chocolate chips before Red started mixing the contents of the bowl. Liz was about to make her presence known when she saw the mischievous look on her daughter's face. Liz watched as her little hand slowly reached towards the bag of flour resting near her, the entire time keeping an eye on her father. Liz held back her words of warning as she watched Marie’s fingers curl around the flour and slowly extracted her hand from the bag, quickly putting it behind her back. Liz was torn, she wanted to warn Red about the impending attack, but also wanted to see his reaction. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait too long.

“Daddy, can I have a hug pwease?” Liz had to bite down on her bottom lip.

Red set the bowl on the counter and looked at his mini carbon copy with a smile. “Of course baby girl. You never have to ask for a hug.” He reached down and pulled Marie into his arms.

Liz felt the tears prick her eyes as she watched them. She still had trouble getting used to the fact that the man before her was one of the world’s most dangerous criminals. Even if he had been pardoned, she had seen him do some pretty ruthless things, and now, seeing him completely domesticated, and under the spell of their daughter was something that never failed to bring up the warm fuzzes. Liz finally let out a laugh as father and daughter pulled away and Marie smeared Red’s cheek with flour.

Red pulled back from his daughter. He felt her little hand glide down the side of his face and his heart melted yet again. He loved this little girl so much that there were times when he thought his heart would explode. The sound of Liz laughing brought him out of this thoughts and he turned to look at her as he put Marie down, completely missing the huge smile on the toddler's face.

“Good morning sweetheart. Marie, avert your eyes,” Red instructed pulling Liz to him as she walked closer planting a soft, but lingering kiss on her lips. Pulling back, Liz couldn’t help but laugh at the way Red looked with a streak of flour running down the side of his face. His confused look only enhanced her laughter and soon Marie joined in, giggling hysterically.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, the two girls laughed even harder as the confusion on his face grew. Liz reached up and gently ran her finger through the flour on his face holding it up for him to see. Automatically, his hand came up and made its own assessment, coming back with even more flour.

Red’s eyes instantly went to his daughter, “Marie Luli Reddington.” The child’s laughter stopped immediately and she darted behind her mother’s legs. 

“Oh no, mommy’s not gonna save you this time little one. You have three seconds…one-”

Marie shot towards the door, but was quickly scooped up by her father who ruthlessly tickled her. 

“Daddy...you lied…daddy!” she got out between fits of giggles. After a few more seconds of torture, Red planted a big kiss on Marie’s cheek.

“You sneaky little Pooh Bear,” Red planted another kiss on the other cheek before putting her down. “Now, I believe you and I were in the middle of something, were we not Marie?”

The look on the little girl’s face made Red smile. Her eyebrows shot towards the ceiling and she held her hand up with her index finger fully extended. She walked back over to the stool but stopped and turned back to her parents pointing at her mother.

“You need to go back to bed mommy,” Marie’s tone and expression were exact replicas of Red’s when he was ordering her around. It took everything in Liz not to fall to the floor laughing. Shaking her head, she walked away, but Red’s arm around her waist stopped her.

“I love you Lizzie.” He dropped a soft kiss on her upturned mouth.

“I love you too Ray.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking her head under his chin.

For a minute they just stood there holding each other, basking in the perfection of the moment. She was about to untangle herself when she felt a tiny hand grip her pant leg. Red must have felt the same because they both looked down at the same time. Not for the first time, both adults felt their hearts swell. Marie had her face pressed against her parents’ legs, each hand grasping the back of a knee. In a synchronized move, Liz and Red bent down and scooped Marie up, holding her between them. The three of them stood there for a time, replete in their blissful love for their little family.

“Mommy?” Marie’s voice broke the comfortable silence that had settled around them.

“Yes baby?”

“Can you go back to bed now pwease? Daddy and I need to finish.”

Liz couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her throat. “Sure thing my girl.” She placed a kiss on Marie’s cheek and gave Red one last kiss before heading back upstairs.

Once in their bedroom, she headed for the shower. As the hot water flowed over her body, Liz thought about the news she had received from the doctor yesterday. She was seven weeks pregnant. Again. She couldn’t believe it. She was so happy about the news, it had taken everything in her not to run to Red, jump into his arms and tell him, but she wanted to make this a surprise for him. The last time around, she had to go through the pregnancy by herself. Granted, Dembe and Mr. Kaplan had been there for support and any other need she required, but Red hadn’t been there. He had missed the first kick of his little girl. He missed cutting her umbilical cord, holding her right after she was born, changing her diapers, rocking her to sleep, soothing her cries, hearing her say her first word, and seeing her take her first steps. The knowledge that he would be there for all of that this second time around brought tears to her eyes. She needed him, more than anything in this world, and she knew he felt the same about her. She brought her hand to her stomach and smiled. She quickly washed herself and stepped out of the shower. She had just slipped the t-shirt over her head when there was a rap on the bedroom door. She slipped back under the covers just as Marie’s brown waves became visible.

“Well, what is this?” Liz asked as the door opened fully to reveal Red holding a tray. The duo crossed the room, Marie quickly climbing up on the bed as Red placed the tray across Liz’s lap. She smiled at the chocolate chip waffles and fresh strawberries.

“Happy Birfday mommy!” Marie exclaimed as she used Liz’s shoulder to pull herself up and give Liz a huge kiss on the cheek.

Breakfast was a quick affair and once the tray was cleared away, it was time for presents. Both adults found it highly amusing that Marie was so excited about the presents, even though none of them were for her. To appease the little girl, Liz opened the presents from Marie first which included; an iTunes gift card, a couple books, a new sweater and a very pretty handmade card. She scooped the child in her arms and gave her a grateful hug and kiss.

Red’s gifts were next. If Liz had thought for a moment that he wasn’t going to spoil her rotten, she was dead wrong. The first box housed a new Tiffany watch studded with sapphires. The second present was a new iPhone 6 Plus with a sturdy case. It was his third gift that made her eyes water; a voucher for a dress fitting at Vera Wang. 

She knew that telling him it was too much would be futile. A few weeks ago he had purchased a pair of really expensive shoes that she had spotted in the window of a local store and, in retrospect, she should have known he would, but it still upset her. After a lengthy conversation, which ended in an enthusiastic bout of love making, Liz had relented and accepted that Red was going to spoil her no matter what she said.

“Sweetheart?” his deep tone brought her back to him, “I have one last gift for you.”

“Raym-” her protest was cut short by his index finger against her lips.

“It’s nothing big, I promise you. I just thought you’d enjoy a day at the spa. Marie has been hinting that she wants to go to the carnival.” Red handed her a cream-colored envelope with a smile on his face. 

“Thank you Raymond.” She stretched up, landing a soft kiss to his lips. 

Red turned to face Marie. “Alright Pooh Bear, let's get you dressed so we can go!” The little girl vaulted off the bed and sprinted to her room, her parents dissolving into fits of laughter at her antics.


	2. Chapter 2

“Now Marie, I need both my hands for our food so I need you to hold onto my pant leg or go stand with Uncle Dembe please,” Red smiled at his daughter as they stood in line.

“Yes daddy.”

As the got closer to the front of the line, Red let go of Marie’s hand and smiled as he immediately felt his right pant leg move. When he reached the window, he placed their order, grabbed his wallet and paid. He looked down and felt his heart tighten when his eyes didn’t lock onto her brown waves. Thinking she had switched sides, Red torqued his body to the left, still no Marie. He turned to the right again but still didn’t see his daughter. He looked to the row of chairs off to the side of the food truck and called out to his friend.

“Dembe, is Marie with you?”

“No, I thought she was with you?” Dembe rose from his seat and looked around the seating area.

Panic set in as Red’s eyes frantically searched for her bright green sweater. He stepped away from the window, ignoring the young man calling him, and fell in beside Dembe.

“Marie!” he called out, “Marie, where are you?”

His head swiveled rapidly as he continued to call out her name, panic giving way to terror with every passing second. This couldn’t be happening! He couldn’t lose his baby girl. Not after he just got her back. He shouted her name continuously, silently sending up prayer to a god he never spoke to that he’d find his little girl quickly. He saw Dembe scanning the area just as fanatically. They searched for what seemed like ages, Red’s heart slowly breaking, quickly losing his composure.

“Raymond!” Dembe called out. Red spun around to face him and followed his friend’s outstretched hand. Relief flooded his system as he caught sight of her.

She was a few yards away, standing near a booth that housed the ring toss game pointing at a large Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal hanging on the back wall of the stall, a strange man crouched next to her. Unchecked rage shoved his relief to the side when Red saw the man stroke Marie’s cheek, a predatory grin stretched across his lips. Red’s feet moved quickly and he reached them just as the man stood and took Marie’s hand. Terror seeped into his bones as Red saw the man try to pull her around the booth, but his little girl suddenly put up a fight. Red filled with pride when Marie kick the strange man hard in the shin, causing him to howl in pain.

‘That’s my girl.’ He thought to himself. Hurriedly, Red closed the distance between himself and his daughter.

“Marie!” The sound of her father’s booming voice made her head whip around.

“Daddy!” She cried out, her little arm reaching out to him frantically. The strange man quickly dropped her hand, clearly caught off guard by the arrival of her father.

Anger guided Red’s movements, and Dembe must have noticed it because he quickly scooped Marie out of her father’s path. Red’s fist connected with the man’s jaw, dropping him to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Reaching down, Red grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and hauled his body up.

“How dare you lay your hands on my daughter!” Red snarled at him. “If my little girl wasn't present, I would kill you with my bare hands. But instead, I’m going to let the authorities deal with you,” He landed another square punch to the man’s nose, breaking it with a sickening crunch. Looking up, he saw two police officers approaching them. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be getting back up, Red whirled around and took three long strides to Marie. He dropped to a crouch in front of her and grabbed onto her shoulders.

“Marie! What were you doing?” Red couldn’t help the hard tone that came out of his mouth. “I told you to hold onto me! You know the rules of being out in large crowds!”

Tears welled up in the young one’s eyes, “I’m sowy, daddy.”

Red hauled his daughter to his chest, holding on to her for dear life. He closed his eyes, drawing in a shuddering breath. “Oh my sweet girl. Shh, don’t cry. I’m sorry for shouting at you. I was just so scared when I couldn’t find you,” He spoke to her softly, burying his nose in her hair deeply inhaling her scent. Pulling back, he cupped her little face in his hands. “If anything ever happened to you Marie, I don’t know what I would do.” He told her gently, eyes misting with emotion.

He placed a kiss on her forehead before engulfing her in another tight hug, fighting against the tears that threatened to fall. Father and daughter remained on the ground in the middle of the park a moment longer, before Red stood up, clutching Marie close to his chest as they made their way to the car. Once settled in the backseat, Red untangled Marie’s arms from around his neck and placed her in the seat next to him. After she was buckled in, he let out a deep, ragged breath, feeling the fear and stress from earlier dissipate slightly. Reaching down, he took one of her little hands in his own, using his other hand to gently turn her head towards him. Her sad, teary green eyes looking back at him broke his heart.

“Why did you walk off Marie? Mommy and I have told you numerous times not to wander off in crowds or talk to strangers.” He admonished softly.

“I’m sowwy daddy. I saw da big Winnie da Pooh and…” she explained between sniffs.

“Oh Marie. You should have just told me you wanted to see Winnie the Pooh. We could have walked over there together.” Red intoned to her softly, not wanting to berate to her. Seeing his baby girl upset literally shattered his heart. Leaning over, he placed a kiss to the top of her head.

“I will say, I am so proud of you for not going with that strange man baby girl. Who told you to kick him in the shin?” He beamed proudly.

“Mommy told me to. She told me if someone twies to touch me, dat I should kick them and scweam. But I saw you so I yelled Daddy.” She finished, staring up at him with a determined look in her eye. He’d been on the receiving end of that look many times. It screamed his Lizzie.

“I’m so proud of you for doing that baby girl. You did such a good job.” He told her with a large smile. “But, you know we're going to have to tell mommy what happened today, don't you?” He asked, seeing the flash of fear in her eyes.  
“I don’t wanna.” she retorted petulantly.

“Oh yes my dove. When we get home, we’re all going to have a family talk.” He replied.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and crawled into his lap, curling against his chest. Immediately, he brought his arms around her protectively, snuggling her into him. “I love you baby girl.”

“I wuv you too daddy.” She said as her eyes began to droop. Looking down, he noticed she had already fallen asleep. Relaxing back into the seat, he let his head drop back on the headrest, feeling the last of the adrenaline leave his body. The pain in his right hand made itself known. Looking down, he noted that two of his knuckles were cut open, a bright red and blue bruise already forming across the top of his hand. Sighing at the familiar sight, he brought his hand around to rest on Marie’s back for the remainder of the ride home.

When they arrived home from the carnival, their family talk commenced over dinner with a rather upset Liz pacing around the kitchen. Red had already explained that he and Marie had had a good talk in the car on the way back, so Liz didn't scold her a second time. She merely hugged her tightly and praised her for kicking the man and calling out for Red before sending her to her room for the evening. Seeing Liz so distraught, Red slowly approached her and enveloped her in his arms, cooing sweet nothings in her ear to calm her down. He felt the fight leave her body, her weight sagging against him as she started to drift off, the emotional toll of finding out that their little girl had almost been taken proved too much for Liz. Pulling back, Red placed a loving kiss on her forehead. Without hesitation, Red scooped Liz up in his arms and carried her to their bed, laying her down and pulling the blankets up around her.

Quietly, Red made his way out of their room to check on Marie before turning in for the night. He softly opened the door to her room, even in the darkness he could see her laying on her stomach; her right arm and leg dangling off the side. Slowly, he made his way to her bed and sat down on the floor. He lowered his head next to hers on the pillow, and gripped her hand in his. It was only during moments like this that he was able to relax, truly relax for the first time in almost three decades.

*****

Waking up alone in bed was not something Liz enjoyed, especially now that Red had become a permanent fixture in their lives. Her stomach lurched and she bolted to the bathroom, just making it before the ever-so-lovely morning sickness began. Ten minutes later, after washing her face and thoroughly brushing her teeth, Liz walked out of the bathroom and noticed that Red still wasn’t in bed. With a few possible thoughts as to where he was running in her brain, she threw on a pair of boy shorts and a tank top and went in search of her man. 

She stopped at Marie’s door first and peered in. Red was sitting on the floor next to the bed, his back against the wall and his head was on her pillow. Their foreheads were touching and Red’s eyes were closed. Liz could tell by the rise and fall of his chest that he was almost asleep, so she quickly and quietly walked into the room and crouched in front of him. Liz gently brushed Marie’s hair out of her face before tucking the little girl’s leg under the blankets. Liz reached towards Red and stroked the side of his face with the back of her hand until his eyes fluttered open.

“Hey.” Liz whispered.

“Mmm, hey.” Red slowly lifted his head up so as to not disturb Marie. Red gently tucked Marie’s hand back under the covers, before taking Liz’s hand and letting her help him stand. As they left the room, Liz stopped to close the door until just a sliver of light was resting gently on Marie’s back.

As soon as their own bedroom door was shut, Liz pressed Red up against the wall, her hands making their way under his shirt while her lips sought out his own. It took Red all of half a second to get with the program before he pushed himself off of the wall, backing Liz up until the backs of her legs hit the edge of the bed. Their lovemaking was frenzied, the turmoil of the day still had them wound tight as drums. They didn’t even remove all their clothes as their need to be together overwhelmed them.


	3. Chapter 3

The following afternoon found Red and Liz alone in the house. Dembe had offered to take Marie to the zoo with his granddaughter. Their morning had consisted of two more bouts of lovemaking followed by breakfast a la Raymond. Red and Lizzie were seated on the floor, Indian-style, with the scrabble board spread out between them. This game and chess were the two games they loved to play with one another. Mainly because each thought they were smarter than the other, but also because they were both very competitive people who hated to lose. For the past couple of days, Lizzie had been trying to figure out how she would tell Red that he was going to be a father again, when an idea finally struck her. Looking down at her Scrabble tiles, she noticed that she had two D’s.

_‘Perfect,’_ she thought to herself.

When her turn came up, she placed her two D’s on either end of one of Red’s words.

_‘D...D. Dad,’_ he thought to himself.

“Running out of sophisticated words Lizzie?” He goaded her playfully.

She merely smirked at him, a knowing look in her eye which he caught, but couldn’t place.

Returning his attention to the game, he scanned the words on the board, nodded his approval and moved on, placing his next word. Letting out a small huff, she realized that this might take a little more effort on her part. A couple of turns later, she had the letters that would allow her to spell another perfect word.  Red’s eyes were trained on her hands, watching her gather up her tiles and places them on the board one by one.

_‘F...A...T...H...R’_ he ran the word across his mind, the letter E fitting in between the H and the R to spell, father. Looking up, he found her looking back at him with the same gleeful glint in her eye. He felt his heartbeat pick up.

“Father,” he stated matter of factly.

“It’s a very good word,” she answered with a trace of humor in her voice. “Not to mention it gets me a ton of points,” she finished playfully.

“It is, and it does,” he responded, moving his gaze back to his tiles as he planned his next move. Noticing that his attention was back on the game, Lizzie rolled her eyes.

_‘You’re being very thick today Raymond,’_ she said to herself. A few moves later, Lizzie had acquired two P’s and an A. Seeing her opening with another word on the board ending in A, she placed her tiles down one by one.

_‘P...A...P,’_ Red read to himself, with the ending letter A already on the board. His heartbeat was racing at a breakneck speed by this point; he felt his breathing also pick up. _‘Dad, Father, Papa...Is Lizzie...?’_ his train of thought was temporarily paused as he saw Lizzie placing more tiles on the board between them.

_‘P...R...E...G...N...A...N...T,’_ he slowly pieced together. Sitting back, Lizzie waited for it all to hit him, and it didn’t take long at all. Red’s head snapped up and his eyes searched her own desperately, glistening with unshed tears.

“Are you pregnant?” He whispered, a lone tear making its way down his cheek. He sat frozen in his spot on the floor, waiting anxiously for Lizzie’s answer, his hope and excitement not hidden as it radiates off of him. Feeling she’d kept him waiting long enough, she answered.

“I am,” she whispered back firmly. “You’re going to be a daddy, again,” she continued, her own tears freely falling down her face at the utter joy on his face. Before she knew it, scrabble pieces were flying across the floor as Red launched himself at her, bracing his body above her own, framing her face gently in his hands as he kissed her with all the love he could muster. Pulling back, both breathless from the kiss, Red peppered kisses down her neck and across the top of her exposed chest. Bringing his hands down, he lifted her shirt up, bunching it up under her breasts, and busted out in a full-on belly laugh at what he saw on her lower abdomen. There, taped to her lower belly, right over where their little baby was growing, was a picture of a progress bar that read:

_‘Loading 25%...’_

Reaching up, he pulled the piece of paper off of her tummy and placed a gentle, lingering kiss on her skin. He nuzzled his nose and cheek against her abdomen, inhaling her scent as much as he could. One of his greatest regrets in his life was that he wasn’t around for their first pregnancy. While he was away, he almost had to tell Mr. Kaplan to stop updating him because it was too painful, but it was a beautiful pain he was willing to endure. And now he had a gorgeous baby girl. This time around, he was going to be there for everything. To hold Lizzie’s hair back during her morning sickness, to run out to the store at 3am because of a crazy craving, to massage her feet when her belly got so big she couldn’t even see them anymore, to hold her hand and let her crush it as they welcomed their little boy into the world.

_‘Little boy,’_ he stopped and thought to himself. _‘Getting a little ahead here, but I do hope we have a little boy next,’_ he thought to himself. He was brought out of his silent musings by Lizzie gently stroking his cheek with the back of her hand. Bringing his eyes up, he couldn’t help but grin at the wide smile on his Lizzie’s face.

“What are you thinking Ray?” she asked him.

“I’m hoping we have a little boy. A boy I can teach to play catch, go to Red Sox games with, teach to sail, teach how to hammer a nail properly, teach how to shoot, teach how to be a gentleman….” he petered out as those thoughts really sunk in.

“Raymond Reddington Jr.,” Lizzie said.

“No. I don’t think we should name him after me. With all I’ve done in my life, my name comes with negative connotations and baggage. He’d be named after a criminal, a bad man. He’d be named after…”

“The most incredible man I’ve ever known!” she said with a fierceness and determination in her voice that startled him. Feeling her palm his cheeks, she brought his head up so they were eye level. “Our son will be named after the bravest, most selfless man I’ve ever met. He’ll be named after the man I love more than life itself, a man I respect and adore. Don’t you dare speak of yourself or your name in that manner. Ever.  I won’t tolerate that kind of degradation from anyone, least of all from you. You are the single most intelligent, caring, loyal, handsome,” she paused, lust burning in her eyes, “witty, strong and sophisticated man I know. Not to mention the most incredible father and the best husband a woman could ever hope for. And I thank heavens for you every day, Red. I am so thankful that I can call you mine, fall asleep in your arms at night, and wake up next to you in the morning. Make love to you, take care of you, and protect you. Raymond Reddington is the name our son will have. Do you understand?” she finished, bringing his face down to hers, her last words said with her lips brushing his own softly.

Hearing his Lizzie talk about him like that caused a fire to burst in his belly. Closing the rest of the distance between them, he captured her lips in a fierce kiss. So distracted by his kiss, she didn’t notice him rummaging around in his pants pocket for something. Pulling back, he waited for her eyes to flutter open slowly, before bringing his right hand up and placing an open velvet box on her chest.

“Ok, Lizzie,” he conceded with a small smile. “Or, how about, Mrs. Reddington?” He asked.


End file.
